The new members of the LVEDC Board of Directors include (respectively) Dr. Ann D. Bieber, Dan Hartzell, Richard Larson, Kevin Lott, and Loren Speziale.

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) is proud to welcome five new members to the organization’s Board of Directors, and five incumbent board members have begun new terms this year as well.

“We have another group of uniquely qualified and well-respected professionals joining us this year, and their fresh perspective and contributions will help us as we face the challenges of the day and continue to foster the economic development in Lehigh Valley,” said board chair Jane Long.

The five new board members include:

Dr. Ann D. Bieber, President of Lehigh Carbon Community College. Bieber was appointed the fifth President of LCCC in 2014, and has served at the college for nearly 40 years in a variety of positions. She is committed to enhancing, improving and fostering the college’s standing as one of the region’s premier educational institutions.

“LVEDC is an outstanding organization that serves our region and it is an honor to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors,” she said. “I look forward to working closely with everyone to continue to strengthen partnerships and economic development in our region.”

Dan Hartzell, Commissioner-at-Large with the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners. Hartzell took office in January 2016. He spent 38 years as a reporter and columnist with The Morning Call, which included writing the “Road Warrior” traffic and transportation column, before his retirement in 2014.

“LVEDC’s key assistance in the retention of smaller manufacturers and development of new ones, as well as the region’s conversion to more of a service-based economy, cannot be overstated,” he said. “I consider it an exciting challenge to be involved more directly in these efforts as a member of the board.”

Richard G. Larson, President & CEO of VfD Technologies. Prior to joining VFD, Larson was President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Plastics, Inc., during which time LVP’s earnings performance grew more than three-fold. He also worked over 15 years with H.C.Starck GmbH.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to bring my perspective and experience to the LVEDC Board of Directors,” he said. “While individual board members may have different views of specific topics, I know we all ultimately share the same end goal of growing a skilled workforce, maintaining competitiveness as a region, and advancing economic development in Lehigh Valley.”

Kevin Lott, Councilman with Northampton County Council. Lott held several positions in his 31-year career with the United Brothers of Carpenters Union Local 167 and retired as its Business Agent.  Mr. Lott was also a Trustee for the Philadelphia Apprenticeship.

“It’s an honor to be able to serve on the board in these trying times,” Lott said. “My focus as a board member is to make sure we are creating and enticing companies that offer family sustain wages to our citizens of the Lehigh Valley.”

Loren Speziale, Deputy Managing Partner with Gross McGinley LLP. Speziale has a passion for helping clients build successful businesses. She was appointed Deputy Managing Partner of Gross McGinley in 2018 and elevated to Equity Partner in 2019.

In addition to the new board members, incumbents who were either re-elected or are otherwise beginning new terms include:

• Kassie Hilgert, President & CEO of ArtsQuest
• Silvia Hoffman, President of MKSD Architects
• Neal Koplin, Executive Vice President & Lehigh Valley Region and Greater Delaware Valley Region President, Peoples Security Bank and Trust
• Eric Luftig, Vice President of Victaulic
• Barry Wentzel, Director, East Region, UGI Utilities, Inc.

LVEDC also appreciates the efforts and contributions of the following four board members whose tenures with the Board of Directors ended this year:

• Bryon Grigsby, President of Moravian College
• Mark Jobes, Senior Vice President & Chief Banking Officer, Merchants Bank of Bangor
• William B. McGee, Councilman with Northampton County Council
• Stu Shaw, Vice President, Core Market & Dental Leader, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America